I've been thinking about why some mining companies successfully adopt innovation while others struggle, despite having similar resources and challenges. The difference often comes down to organizational readiness. It is not a question of company size, but it is always a question of culture and legacy systems. As part of our business model, Objectivity performs a scoping study to demonstrate how DRX can improve drilling efficiency (defined as expected volume meeting QP/CP requirements per metre drilled). When compared to a baseline plan, DRX will improve the efficiency and identify other value drivers leading to better drilling outcomes. Through this process, I’ve observed some clear indicators that distinguish companies genuinely open to innovation and change. 1. Decision-making speed. If it takes you longer to get your new “innovative” supplier onboarded and under contract than it does for the innovator to deliver or demonstrate their value proposition, you're probably not ready. We often confuse thoroughness with delay. If your approval process for testing new approaches involves multiple committees and months of deliberation, you're structurally designed to resist innovation. 2. Onboarding process for new technologies. Do you have a clear pathway from concept to implementation? Or does each new idea get treated as a unique event requiring special handling? Innovation requires a process for rapid experimentation and learning, not perfect first attempts. 3. Systems to assess whether an innovation was effective? I've seen companies implement new technologies without clear metrics for success. They can't tell you whether the innovation worked because they never defined what "worked" means. Often, there is no baseline performance data to compare to, or, there is plenty of data, but little metadata describing the data or its quality. 4. Collaboration across disciplines The most successful projects we have had are the ones where everyone involved benefits from working directly with people who know their domain inside out. Resource drilling eventually has to turn into a reserve, so you might as well get the engineers on the call. And if you’re already running a producing mine, you could get the production department involved. It may help them understand why they should support the rigs. 5. Innovation/adoption is principality driven by culture. Good culture equals good and happy people equals good corporate growth (think Costco). A rigid hierarchy and lack of responsibility stops innovation. You need an environment where technical personnel, domain experts, and decision-makers can talk openly, where responsibility and trust flow freely, not where they're trapped behind layers of legacy process. Build systems based on respect, speed, fairness, clear measurement, and genuine openness. Flatten your structure, empower your people, and watch efficiency grow. Or don’t.